Black and White
by smile1
Summary: Literati -One Parter- Rory goes to see Jess in New York. The story skips the daytime part and starts with them having pizza. Casual? I don't think so. It's nothing but fluff and the story deals with every emotion you can think of, including passion....


Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: Personally, I think you need to really sit down for this one..... I hope you won't be overwhelmed by its length because this is really a sweet story and the happy ending is included! :-) _Of course, I have to thank Alexia, especially since it's slightly longer than most one-parters. _:-)

* * *

Black and White

Rory was sitting in a dark red armchair, a color that didn't quite clash with the amber colored walls, but it didn't fit with the rest of the interior, either, which consisted of only a bed, dresser, the armchair she was curled up on, and the several bookcases that took up an entire wall of the room. Although a couple of rock posters decorated the room and there were CD's and books scattered about everywhere, the room still came over as cold; this room, besides the many pieces of literature and various CD's, held nothing of his personality. It didn't look as inviting and as lived in as his room back in Stars Hollow and the armchair was the only piece of furniture that gave her a comfortable feeling and gave the room at least a casual edge, something she was missing when she looked at the rest of the room. Even Jess seemed to have adjusted himself to his current environment; he seemed more tense and aware of the honking and screaming that was coming from outside, even though it was already past eight.

They had gotten to his apartment half an hour ago. They had lost track of time, or Jess had pretended to lose track of time, when he had been showing her around New York, taking her from the local park to the local bookstore all by subway, something she had never experienced before she came here. Her decision to come here had been utterly spontaneous and a spur of the moment kind of thing - a thing her mom hadn't been fond of when Rory told her, but granted permission for anyway. Lorelai had trusted her even though it would probably cause her to stay up all night worrying. Rory admitted to having been worried about just the idea of going to New York to see Jess and when she had finally set foot on the bus station of New York, her anxiety had only gotten worse, and although she had been here for a couple of hours now, the nervousness was still there. It was something that she tried to hide, but couldn't, not from herself or from Jess, who kept up appearances by turning the page every now and then, when in fact, he hadn't been paying attention to his book for the last fifteen minutes. Instead, he had been stealing glances at Rory, taking in every detail he could find. From the top of her head down to the tip of her toes, his eyes would wander.

Rory pulled her knees up to her chest so she could balance her book on them. She was too caught up in her own actions to notice his constant staring - her eyes were fixated on the pages in front of her - pages that belonged to one of the numerous books Jess owned. Meanwhile, Jess's eyes had rested themselves on hers, knowing that he wouldn't be caught as he studied the expressions that her eyes held - expressions that was accentuated by the light curve of her lips - one Jess often secretly wore himself when she wasn't looking, although Rory hardly looked him in the eye. Her eyes would always come to a rest just above or below them as if she was trying to keep from getting too personal or crossing one of her own boundaries, stopping herself from getting to know him too well and getting too comfortable around him, for the sake of herself because she knew that she would surely fall if she surrendered to the temptation.

The spell between them broke instantly as the sudden ringing of the doorbell penetrated the comfortable bubble they both found themselves in. Jess was the first one to lower his book and acknowledge the shrill sound. He pushed himself up into a sitting position with the help of his elbows before getting up in one fluent movement. Without saying a word, he left the room to answer the door, leaving Rory, who waited until he had left the room before even doing so much as shifting in her chair. When Jess was around, she felt so self-conscious about every one of her movements; she was hesitant towards him and afraid of attracting his attention towards her. The look in his eyes was always so piercing and so confident when she was quite the opposite of that, especially when she was around him. The thoughts that would accompany his eyes were what made her worry so much in his presence, although, she never felt awkward around him, just aware - aware of every messy strand of hair and of every smile and look she threw in his direction.

Rory lowered her knees and placed both of her feet on the floor so she could get up, deciding to ignore the slight but increasing pain in her wrist. She closed the book she had been reading while walking over to the bookcases and carefully sliding the book back into its former keeping place. With one last admiring look at the remaining books, she turned around, but found herself unable to move for a couple of seconds. Jess was standing in the doorframe with his hands placed casually in his pockets and his gaze searching - searching for her eyes, but she averted them just before they could meet, leveling them with his chest instead.

''The pizza's here.''

Rory nodded while wiping some strands of hair away from her face before tucking a couple of them behind her ear, a useless gesture on her part because she would repeat it every couple of minutes.

Jess waited a few more seconds before turning around and heading back into the living room, Rory following at a slower pace. When she reached the living room, plates had already been placed on the table in front of the TV and the pizza box had already been opened, revealing slices of steaming pizza. Jess sat down on the couch and reached for a slice. He placed it on Rory's plate before grabbing another piece, a gesture she had never expected from him because he didn't seem like an attentive person.

''Thanks,'' she said as she sat down next to him, biting her lips at the small twinge of pain that went through her arm at the simple movement. She carefully reached for her plate, making sure not to move her wrist even so much as an inch.

''Everything okay?'' Jess asked, who had been watching her closely.

''Yeah, of course.''

''Then why are you holding your arm as if you're posing to be a sculptors next masterpiece?'' he asked while lowering his eyes to the cast on her lower arm. It was the second time today he had looked at her arm. The first time his eyes had been drawn to it was when she had approached him in the park.

''I thought you said it didn't hurt,'' he continued.

''Normally it doesn't,'' Rory assured him. ''The painkillers must have stopped working.''

''Painkillers?''

Rory shrugged. ''Yeah, the doctor gave them to me after he, well, after he did this.'' Rory nodded in the direction of her cast. ''It's no big deal; I don't even need them since the pain isn't that bad anyway.''

''But there is pain?'' Jess asked, the tone of his voice sounding more serious than she had ever heard.

Rory shook her head. ''Hardly.''

''That means there's pain.''

Rory glanced over at Jess, meeting his eyes by accident, although, she didn't look away this time. Instead, she kept her eyes locked with his and the longer she peered into them, the more evident his concern would become.

''Jess,'' she tentatively said, not used to having him actually look her in the eye when she talked. At the sound of his name, Jess dropped his eyes down to her lips, just wanting to see the movement of them as they formed his name.

''Do..... do you feel guilty about what happened? You know, the crash?'' Rory hesitantly asked, not far away from smiling when his eyes shot back up to hers and revealed the answer to her.

''Yes,'' he honestly answered. ''I didn't want to hurt you.''

''You didn't.''

''I broke your wrist, didn't I?''

''Fractured,'' Rory said.

''Huh, still has the same ring to it to me.''

Rory broke their eye contact and lowered her gaze to the plate she was still holding in her hand. ''Is that why you left?''

''I didn't wanna go through life as a criminal.''

Rory glanced in Jess's direction once more, catching the guilt that briefly lit up his eyes, which he had lowered down to his own plate now.

''You're not a criminal,'' she softly said.

He snorted. ''Tell that to Taylor and the 'grab your rifle and hunt down Jess club.''

''Taylor's, well, just Taylor. He keeps coming up with new clubs because he just likes being the leader and having people look up to him, although, it isn't that hard considering he's the leader of a girl scouts club.'' Rory looked over at Jess to see if her distraction was helping him get his mind off of the guilt, but by the way he was still staring at his plate, she knew that it wasn't.

''Look, Jess, it isn't your fault,'' she started, watching as Jess brought his gaze up to her cast. ''It never was your fault, people just wanted to have someone to blame because there wasn't anyone to blame. I mean, you were driving, yes, but I was in the car, too and I never once told you to pull over; it was my decision, too. And we might have crashed, but that was because we had to swerve to prevent from hitting the fluffy looking ball we saw on the road and I think that actually hitting some poor deer or some other animal would have been much worse...... and if you're thinking of saying something that would remotely resemble something like: a deer caught in headlights, don't.''

''A deer caught in headlights, huh?'' Jess asked while bringing his eyes up to hers.

''I told you not to say that.''

Jess shrugged. ''Call me a rebel.''

Rory smiled. ''Feeling better?''

''I never wasn't.''

''Are you kidding? You looked a little like a deer caught in headlights yourself.''

''Did not,'' was Jess's only response before he took a bite of his pizza, trying hard not to crack a smile at her observant comment, although, he was the one who kept stealing glances at her throughout the remainder of their dinner - a dinner that consisted of comfortable small talk with a few recent reads thrown in. But Jess's attention kept faltering, kept slipping towards something else: her cast. He paid close attention to how she would shift and change her sitting position every now and then, but never moved her arm unless she had to and he took in how she would clumsily balance her plate on her knees. Finally, after his third piece of pizza, he got up and left the living room, leaving Rory to think that he had left to go to the bathroom.

Rory put the last chunk of pizza in her mouth before placing her plate onto the table. She tried not to move her arm, but she could still feel the irritating pain in the lower half of her arm. She sighed and looked down at her arm which she had rested on top of her thighs, as close to her stomach as possible. It would be just a couple of more weeks before the cast would be removed. She knew that she would be filled with relief the moment the doctor would cut it off her, but she would miss it in a way, too. After all, it was the last memory she had of Jess being in Stars Hollow, of how serious his eyes had stood when he had asked her how she was doing and if she was hurt. The night when they crashed was a memory she frequently thought of and not because she had the cast to remind her of it, but because of how much fun she had that night and because of how she had felt that night.

Rory smiled when she heard Jess come back into the room. She kept her eyes on her cast until she felt him sit down beside her. She heard him place something on the table and her eyes shot up to see what it was. A small medicine bottle held her gaze briefly before she looked over at Jess.

''Are those.....?''

''Painkillers,'' Jess finished. ''They're my moms.''

''Your moms?''

Jess heard the hesitation in her voice, knowing that he hadn't told Rory anything about his mom. He nodded. ''Yeah, I think you need them.''

''How do you know? You're not a doctor.''

''Fine, then let me rephrase: I suggest you take them.''

Rory returned her gaze to the bottle. ''But..... what about your mom, won't she mind?''

''If she were here she would be trying to convince you to take the entire bottle.''

''Jess,'' Rory started after giving herself time to take in his words.

''Just don't take the entire bottle, okay?'' he interrupted. He threw her a sad smile before grabbing their plates and getting up from the couch. ''Take one or two,'' was his advice as he headed for the kitchen.

''One or two,'' Rory softly repeated while reaching for the bottle and unscrewing the cap, trying not to think about what Jess could have meant with his earlier remark. She didn't want to think of his mom like that because then she would miss him even more and think about him constantly when she would be back in Stars Hollow. She quickly shook two of the painkillers into the palm of her hand and put them into her mouth without looking at them.

Jess leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she swallowed the pills without any water, just like his mother always did. Rory saw him looking at her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't turn her head to look at him, instead she looked down at her cast, smiling. He always seemed to be able to make her smile just with the little things he did, the small gestures that only she witnessed. She always wondered if that was something he purposely did or just subconsciously because he felt so comfortable around her. She hoped the latter one. Her eyes drifted from her cast to the table, her hair hiding her smile from him. She knew that his eyes were still on her; she could feel them following her every move and it made her wonder why he was even bothering to look at her when she was so ordinary compared to him.

Finally, Rory heard Jess approach her and she looked up, meeting his eyes as he stopped directly in front of her. Underneath his gaze, she felt nervous and unsure, but still she locked eyes with him; the darkness of his eyes had something alluring and it made her want to peer into them even deeper, wondering if she would find something new if she did.

''I have clothes that you can wear.''

Rory frowned at his sudden words, confused about their meaning.

Jess noticed and smirked. ''There's pizza on your shirt.'' He nodded in the direction of her shirt, but kept his eyes respectfully leveled with hers.

''Oh, right,'' Rory said as she quickly lowered her eyes to her shirt to inspect the red stain on it. She was embarrassed to admit that she hadn't noticed it until now. ''Yeah, I forgot my bib.''

Jess nodded. ''I've got them in my room if you want, clothes.''

''Yeah, sure.''

Jess turned around and started to head for his room, Rory following with slightly tinted cheeks, not believing that she had actually made a comment about a bib to him. Once they were in his room, Jess rummaged through his closet for a short while and pulled out a pair of sweats and a shirt. He turned around and handed them to her.

''Thanks,'' she politely responded when she took them from him.

''The bathroom's out in the hall, the only door there, so you can't miss it.''

Rory nodded once more before leaving the room.

-x-x-x-

As soon as she had shut the door behind her, she placed the messily folded pieces of clothing on the counter to take a closer look at them. A baggy pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Rory reached for the shirt and unfolded it, revealing the white letters on them that spelled _Nirvana_. She smiled; she could picture Jess as a _Nirvana_ fan and maybe even wearing this shirt to bed. Her mind created a brief image of Jess putting on the shirt, but it faded quickly when she realized how intimate her thoughts of Jess were becoming.

She unzipped her jeans and started to take them off, struggling with the legs because she had only one arm she could use. After putting on the pair of sweats, she pulled off her shirt, grabbed the _Nirvana_ shirt and pulled it over her head, but after putting her free arm through one of the holes she found herself stuck. She could move her other arm, but the cast did make it harder to move it freely. Normally, her mom would help her get dressed, although, Rory had refused to be treated as an infant the first time, but she had given in after it took her about twenty minutes to put on a shirt.

Rory sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. ''Jess!''

She heard his footsteps approach and stop on the other side of the door. ''Yeah?''

''Can you help me?''

''And here I thought you were a big girl.''

Rory rolled her eyes. ''I need you to help me put..... put my shirt on.''

Jess hesitated briefly before reaching for the doorknob and opening the door, surprised at the fact that it wasn't locked. Meanwhile, the same thought was going through Rory's mind; she couldn't believe she had forgotten to lock the door and by the smirk on Jess's face, she could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

''You should really learn to lock the door; you don't want just anybody to walk in here and see you.''

''Yeah, I forgot, sorry. It's just that my cast is making it hard for me.'' Rory pouted, something that caused Jess to smile instead of smirk. He took another step towards her, lowering his eyes down to her shirt, catching some of her bare midriff.

''Looks like a tough situation.''

''I would appreciate it if you would keep your eyes on my face.''

Jess brought his eyes back up to hers, still smiling. He walked over to her. ''Take your arm out of the sleeve.''

Rory frowned, but did as he said. After she had done this Jess grabbed a hold of the other sleeve and pulled it down as far as he could, making it easier for Rory to slide her casted arm into it.

''Good girl,'' Jess playfully commented.

Rory stuck her tongue out at him while she slid her other arm into its sleeve, too. She wanted to reach down and tug the rest of her shirt down, but to her surprise she could feel Jess's knuckles lightly graze against her stomach as he pulled it down for her. Their eyes locked, intensifying the intimacy between them. When he pulled his hand back, she lowered her eyes down to her stomach. She needed a few seconds to compose herself, although her composition remained blurry because of his proximity.

''Thanks,'' she mumbled. ''You just saved me twenty minutes.''

Jess nodded, but didn't say anything. They just stood in an awkward silence for a while, just listening to each other's breathing - breathing which had sped up ever so slightly. While Rory tried to hold her breath as long as she could, Jess listened to it with amazement - transfixed that he had this effect on her. Only in the scenarios, that he would make up in his head, had this ever happened. But to have her standing directly across from him with only inches of space between them was different and more real.

He cleared his throat. ''Do you want to watch a movie?'' he asked while slipping his hands into his pockets.

Rory carefully looked at him again, however avoiding his eyes. ''What movie did you have in mind?''

Jess shrugged. ''Don't know yet.''

''Well, what genre did you have in mind, then?''

Jess smirked. ''Anything but romance.''

''How come?'' Rory asked while wiping a strand of hair away from her face.

''All of the romantic movies I have seen had no background at all; the actors just fell in love with each other, even when the tension was lacking or non-existent between them.''

''I agree, there has to be tension.''

Jess raised an eyebrow at her answer which Rory caught. ''What?''

''Well, I never pictured you caring about all that touchy-feely stuff.''

''Look who's talking,'' Rory shot back.

''No, you're just always so serious and you don't seem like the most romantic person.....''

''Like I ever saw you wearing a suit with roses in your hand, Mr. Suave.''

Jess smirked. ''So, horror?''

-x-x-x-

Jess awoke with a start, his eyes flying open, revealing what he thought was yet another one of his dreams. Her face was only inches away from him, the weight of her head resting feather soft on his shoulder and her blue eyes hidden from him by her lashes, which he could distinguish lash by lash because of their closeness. Her frequent breaths felt warm and familiar against his face, familiar because he had witnessed all of this before in a dream, but this time, she was really here, close enough to touch, but he refrained from reaching out and touching her cheek; he didn't want to wake her, not when she looked so peaceful and comfortable as if it had happened many times before.

He looked over at the television, expecting to see the black and white images of the last horror movie they had popped in, but instead he saw his own reflection, with Rory's right beside him. He smiled, bringing his eyes back over to her sleeping figure, turning his head in the process so their faces were only inches away from each other. He traced the many lines of her face with his eyes, following every curve, searching for every dimple and discovering every nook and cranny. Her features were so delicate and precise, strikingly attractive and faintly beautiful, although, when her eyes would be open, no one would be able to compete.

Jess shifted slightly, causing a few of the remaining inches of distance to disappear between them. He could now feel her eyelashes against his cheek and her breathing created a heat between them that didn't have enough space to slip away. He couldn't resist to reach out for a strand of her hair and tuck it behind her ear, slowly letting his hand slide down her cheek and to the base of her neck before letting it slide down her arm, gently skimming her skin with the tips of his fingers. Rory sighed in her sleep and he held his breath and didn't move again until he was positive that she was still asleep.

He started to entangle his fingers with hers, looking down at what he was doing because he wanted to be sure that he was being careful enough. Unfortunately, his touches weren't gentle enough and when he looked up at her again her eyes were open, staring at him with curiosity and confusion.

''Jess,'' she murmured. ''What are you doing?''

''Trying not to move,'' he answered, trying to get her attention elsewhere while he swiftly moved his hand from hers.

''How did we end up here?'' she sleepily asked, her eyes still heavy with slumber although, she was awake enough to realize that Jess's hand was lying on top of hers.

''We were watching a movie and we must have.....''

''Fallen asleep,'' Rory finished with a smile. ''We did, but you fell asleep first. You snore.''

''I do not,'' Jess denied, while he skillfully wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

''You do. I think it's cute though.''

''I think you're cute,'' Jess said without thinking while gripping her wrist a little tighter.

''What?'' Rory laughed.

''You heard me,'' Jess said as he pulled her a little closer so their lips touched each other. Although he had taken the initiative, he hadn't planned on actually kissing her, but when he felt her press her lips against his he couldn't resist from doing the same. He quickly slid his hand up her arm, placing four of his fingers behind her neck while his thumb rested just above the neckline of her shirt, his touch gently urging her to come even closer, which she did. Rory freed her hand from his and brought it up to his chest, balling a piece of fabric in her hand as she pressed herself up against him, forcing him to lean back until she was almost lying on top of him. She wanted to catch her breath, but when she did, Jess attacked her mouth with his again, prying her lips apart with his tongue this time and introducing her to another sensation. When she felt his tongue disappear inside her mouth, she gripped his shirt even tighter to muffle a moan he heard anyway. They were so caught up in their actions and so entangled in their own feelings that they didn't hear the door open and even when footsteps came near the couch, they didn't notice.

''Well, look who's getting some action,'' came a sudden voice from above them.

Rory hastily pulled back, keeping herself from resting her entire weight on Jess by leaning on her free hand which she had now placed flat against his chest. Jess removed his hand from behind her neck and brought it down to her waist so he could balance her, knowing that she needed the help since she could only use one arm. Meanwhile his eyes quickly found the figure that had been hovering over them.

''Liz.''

Rory found Jess's eyes, wanting to see the recognition in them for herself. When she did, she started to push herself off him.

''Jess,'' Liz said with a smile. ''We have rules, you know? If you bring a girl home with you take her to your room and don't forget to use protection.''

Rory's cheeks turned crimson as she lowered her eyes and pulled both of her arms as close as she could to her stomach.

''You never stick to the rules,'' Jess shot back as he sat up straight.

''Jess,'' Liz warned. ''This is my apartment and therefore, I can do what I want. Now, who are you, sweetie?''

Rory looked up at Jess's mom and hesitantly smiled. ''I'm Rory. I'm a friend of Jess's.''

''Apparently.''

''Ah, Jeez,'' was Jess's response.

''Well, Rory, it's nice to meet you. I have someone you should meet, too, the both of you actually.''

As soon as Liz had said those words, a man stepped into the living room.

''This is Sam, a friend of mine,'' she introduced with a smile.

Sam was a large man, not in width but in length, and his appearance was slightly sloppy; his blond hair was tousled and there was stubble on his chin. His eyes had a mysterious gleam to them as he walked over to them.

He nodded. ''You two seem to be having a mighty fine time.'' He crookedly smiled and winked at Rory.

Jess gave Sam a foul look before reaching for Rory's arm and roughly pulling her up with him. ''Rory, go to my room. I need to talk with Liz.''

Rory nodded and left for his room without any questions, knowing that he didn't need them right now, but that didn't mean that she didn't have any.

-x-x-x-

Rory cringed as she heard a door slam closed, even though it gave her some relief to know that the fight in the other room had finally came to an end. Jess and his mother had been screaming at each other ever since she had retreated back into Jess's room. She hadn't been able to make out what they had been yelling about or what remarks they had been throwing at each other, but it was crystal clear that their relationship was very different from the relationship she shared with her mom. She hugged her knees with one arm and looked over at the door as it flew open, only to be closed again with yet another bang.

''Are you okay?'' she offered, keeping her eyes on Jess as he nodded and walked over to his bed to sit down.

''Good,'' she continued. ''because I didn't appreciate you telling me to go to your room.''

''It's my apartment,'' Jess stated as he lay down on his bed, fixing his gaze on the ceiling.

''Right.''

''Look,'' Jess said as he shot back up into a sitting position, his face full with emotion. ''you came to visit me without any warning so you don't have the right to get all arrogant on me!'' he sharply finished before laying back down again.

Rory glanced in his direction, taken back by the tone he used with her. ''I'm sorry,'' she said. ''I shouldn't have come.'' She got up from the armchair and started to head for the door. Her hand was already on the doorknob when Jess interrupted.

''There are no buses going to Stars Hollow this late, besides, it's New York and you're not going out there alone, especially not at night.''

''I don't need a chaperone to take me to the couch,'' Rory said while she opened the door. ''It's a shame about those buses though; now I'm stuck here.''

With those last words she left the room, softly closing the door behind her. As soon as she did Jess let out a sigh of frustration, but didn't get up to follow her, either. He wouldn't be able to apologize to her anyway, not when he was so angry at his mother. Normally, she slept over at her boyfriend's place, whichever one that was, but tonight she had to take one of them home with her. Liz had ruined the good mood he had been in all day. A little while ago, he was even kissing Rory and now that incident didn't seem that important to him anymore. Rory was probably wishing that she hadn't kissed him or even worse, that she hadn't come to New York in the first place. He folded his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling again, suddenly becoming extremely aware of the various noises that were still coming from outside. This was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-

Rory's eyes opened without a single flutter from her lashes. She felt a presence in the room, another person that was watching her; she could feel it. For a few seconds, she listened to her own breathing, which sounded so loud in the surrounding silence, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep if someone was indeed watching her. So she surveyed the room from where she was lying, in an uncomfortable position with her knees pulled up as high as possible, searching for that someone who had awoken her. It didn't take her long to find that person. He was standing in front of the large windows, looking at her with a beer bottle in hand and his shirt unbuttoned.

''Sam?'' she asked while quickly getting up into a sitting position.

''Rory, right?''

She nodded.

''You know, you look much more beautiful in the moonlight. If he would have seen that, he wouldn't have kicked you out.''

''Wh..... what are you talking about?'' she asked.

''You and Liz's son had a fight, right?''

''Yeah, how..... how did you know?''

''What other reason could you have to be sleeping on the couch,'' Sam said before taking a swig of his beer. When he removed the bottle from his lips, he placed it on the window sill and looked at her again.

''So, what did you do to get him pissed?''

''Wha..... nothing,'' Rory nervously answered, not liking the way his eyes were constantly fixed on her.

''Come on,'' Sam pushed as he took a few steps in her direction. ''You must have done something. Did you cheat on him? ..... Or maybe he cheated on you?''

''No.....''

''That's it, isn't it? Liz's boy cheated on you with another girl, a prettier girl and now you're jealous. Well, let me tell you something there's no reason for you to be jealous; you are beautiful, innocent, too. Or maybe you just seem innocent?'' Sam rambled on, taking even more steps in her direction.

''No one cheated, Jess and I aren't even together.''

''That's good to know,'' Sam said as he threw her a sly smile and stopped right in front of the couch so that he was now towering over her, intimidating her.

''Sam, I think you should.....''

''So, tell me, the innocent thing, is it just an act or is it something you do to attract guys with because it's definitely working.''

When Sam started to lean in and Rory smelled the alcohol on his breath fear struck her. She wanted to get up, but if she did she and Sam would be only a couple of inches apart, giving him the opportunity to reach out and touch her if he wanted. So instead she started to move to the other side of the couch in a quick pace - a pace Sam didn't immediately catch because of the drunken state he was in.

''Stay away from her.''

Rory whimpered at the sudden sound of Jess's voice, causing her to almost fall of the couch. She clumsily got off the couch and started to head in the direction of his voice although, she was still facing Sam.

''Don't worry, man. I know she's yours. I was just having some fun.''

Jess didn't say anything, but just glared at Sam until Rory was safely inside his room. After that, he followed, closing and locking the door behind him.

''Are you alright?'' he asked as he looked over at Rory who was awkwardly standing in the middle of his room.

''Yeah, thanks for..... well, you know, what you just did.''

''No need to thank me. I was going to check up on you anyway. I couldn't sleep,'' Jess quickly added, not wanting Rory to know that he had been lying awake all night because of her.

''How come? I mean, you must be used to the noise by now.''

''It wasn't the noise; I just had something on my mind.''

Rory looked up and met his gaze. ''If it's me, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. I should have just stayed in Stars Hollow; New York's too big and chaotic for me. You were right, I belong in Stars Hollow and you belong here.''

''I don't know. Here can be pretty tiring,'' Jess said with a small smile.

''Is it always like that? Your mom and.....''

''Most of the times,'' he answered.

Rory nodded. ''It must be hard for you to live here and to have grown up here; that's probably why you seem so mature, like you have experienced so much more than I.''

''Yeah.....'' Jess looked at Rory, noticing that she hadn't moved from her spot yet. ''You can sit down you know?''

''Oh, no, I'm going back to the living room.''

''No, you're sleeping here.''

Rory glanced over at his bed. ''And you?''

''In front of this door,'' Jess asked, trying to make it sound amusing when he was actually quite serious.

''Jess, this is your room, I can't.....''

''Well, you are,'' he stated more firmly than he had intended.

''Can't we just both sleep here?'' Rory asked, feeling guilty about his offer.

Jess glanced over at his armchair and nodded. ''Hand me a pillow and that chair over there won't be that that.''

''But.....''

''Rory.''

''Fine,'' she said as she headed over to his bed, the simple action putting thoughts into her head. She grabbed a corner of the covers and got into bed - his bed. ''You're stubborn,'' Rory mumbled while turning onto her side, catching Jess's gaze from the corner of her eye before lying down and letting her eyes be drawn to the armchair on which Jess was going to have to spend the night on because of her. Before the guilt could take over, she pushed it aside by reminding herself that she had given him a choice; he just hadn't taken it.

''What are you doing?'' she softly asked when she heard Jess go through his closet. She always had the idea that she needed to whisper when it was this late.

''Fetching myself a pillow,'' was his response which was quickly followed by a light rustling sound and the soft thuds of his bare feet as he made his way over to the chair. Rory watched as he dropped himself in the chair, placing the pillow behind his head before installing himself even further.

''Are you sure you're comfortable?''

''As comfortable as I'll be.''

Rory lowered her eyes at his words, realizing that she was also the reason why he wouldn't be able to sleep in his own bed tonight, missing out on some hours of sleep that he probably needed more than her by what she had witnessed of New York today. Even after twelve, voices could still be heard outside.

''Jess,'' she timidly started. ''are you really sorry I came?''

Her fingers tightened their grip on the sheets as she pulled them up even higher, feeling the need to cover herself up as much as she could so Jess wouldn't be bothered with her. It was a thought that held childish characteristics, but reflected her guilt and confusion perfectly. She did feel guilty about just barging into his life without warning, but she was also confused by the mixed signals he was giving her and she had trouble comprehending him. She could hear him let out a heavy sigh, a sigh that only added to those two dominating feelings, but also added another layer to her frustration.

''Rory..... I do wish that you had changed your mind back in Stars Hollow before you decided to step on a bus to New York..... but I'm not sorry that you're here. You've been able to keep my mind off of everything today.''

''Even your mom?'' Rory asked, making sure that her voice sounded cautious enough.

''It was kinda hard to keep my mind off of her when she just walked in like that.''

Rory saw that by the way the corner of his mouth twitched that he had wanted to continue that sentence, but had chosen not to instead.

''It is her apartment.''

''I know, she reminds me constantly,'' Jess said as he brought his eyes down to Rory's. ''She has me follow rules that she breaks herself as often as she can.

''You hate it here, don't you?''

Jess's eyes narrowed at her question. ''Yes.'' He averted his eyes and Rory could tell that his confession had been honest by the way he tensed up in his chair, his arms pressing into the fabric tightly as if he was trying to balance himself from a fall only he had witnessed.

''Then come with me tomorrow.''

Jess's eyes flew back over to hers. ''Back to Stars Hollow?''

Rory nodded and his reaction to that was a smile. ''I can't go back there.''

''Because?''

''Because if I do Taylor well really have his way with me, and I don't mean in a way that would be pleasurable to me.''

''Taylor's just like that. You can just ignore him like Luke does,'' Rory said, bringing him one step closer to the answer she wanted to hear.

''I don't think Luke would want me living with him anymore,'' Jess commented.

There was a brief pause in their conversation.

''He never told you to leave. You just made that decision by yourself without discussing it with him, and when you decided, you didn't even leave him as much as a note to thank him for all he did. You didn't even as much as say goodbye; you just left.''

Jess's gaze intensified, causing her heart to beat slightly faster and her blood to run quicker through her veins, her cheeks reddening without any real reason, but a simple look

''That's why you came here.''

''Partially,'' Rory quickly said, silently scolding herself for saying anything. She pressed her cheek closer to the pillow and tilted her head a little so her hair hid her face from him. ''I missed you,'' she mumbled, barely audible enough for Jess to understand. She closed her eyes and pretended that no one could see her now, just like she used to do back when she was younger.

Suddenly, she heard him get up and only moments later she could feel his fingers brush her hair away from her face slowly, almost leisurely. Her eyes opened by themselves, revealing his dark eyes to her as he leaned in, quickly tracing his thumb over her lower lip before covering her mouth with his. While he kissed her, she searched for his hand, not returning his kiss until she had his hand clasped in hers because she knew that this time she wouldn't have to let go.

* * *

**REVIEW! Please? :-)** I know, definitely not original because this idea has been used countless times before, but I just wanted to write a light and fluffy piece, although, I always tend to be dramatic in my stories. I doubt a lot of people will actually take the time to read this story, but I just wanted to put it out here for the willing few and for myself. Thanks! :-)


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